WITCH Survives Disaster: Pandemic
by AceNavalPilot
Summary: When a massive flu pandemic hits and people all over the world get sick and die, Robert, Irma and the others must fight to survive the virus and the resulting widespread panic.  Next Episode: Tornado


A/N: Sorry this one took so long, but I have not had much free time to work on this recently due to my hectic work schedule. I finally finished it, though, and the last few stories of this series should not take as long. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I only own the plot.

W.I.T.C.H. Survives Disaster: Pandemic

_Heatherfield Municipal Subway, Main Street Station_

_Downtown Heatherfield, California_

_May 20, 2013, 6:13 A.M._

It was a typical morning as groups of commuters boarded the local subway train on their way to work. One man had just boarded the train and was clearly showing some flu symptoms.

He did not know it, but he is the first person in the United States to be infected with a new strain of a deadly and highly contagious flu virus, making him Patient Zero of a global pandemic.

A fellow passenger asked him if he had the comics section of the newspaper. The man handed it to him and, without knowing it, started a chain of events that would eventually kill millions of people worldwide. Over the next three weeks, the virus has spread from the man to four more people, and each one of those would infect four more, and so on.

Eventually, the new strain of flu has been officially declared a pandemic, with hundreds of thousands of reported cases in China, Europe and in the United States. Over those three weeks, thousands of people have died.

_Pandemic: Week 3_

_June 11, 2013, 8:20 A.M._

Irma, her husband Robert and their friends Cornelia, her husband Caleb, Will, her husband Angelo and Elyon were at Robert's house watching the news.

The government had just ordered all public events canceled, closed all schools, and told everyone to stay at home and limit outside activity in order to control the spread of the virus. "Oh my God!" Will said as she and Angelo stared at the screen in disbelief.

Robert and Caleb began checking the cabinets in the kitchen, assessing the food supplies that were currently available in the house. They gathered all food items and laid them out on the table. It seemed like a lot, but it was not enough.

"OK, we clearly need to go and get some supplies and we need to go now." Robert said. "How much do we need?" Elyon asked. At least three months' worth." Irma replied. They all got into Robert's jet-black Lincoln Navigator. Upon arrival at the supermarket, the group proceeded with caution, keeping aware of the unseen danger around them: the virus.

"OK, be careful what you touch, be careful where you walk. This place is a paradise for the virus, and a minefield for us, our goal, avoid the mines and get the supplies we need." Robert said just before they went inside.

Inside the store, it was absolute chaos as people rushed in a panic to stock up on supplies. Most of the shelves were nearly empty, and the rest were not far behind. Cornelia grabbed a bottle of bleach spray and used it to wipe down a nearby grocery cart.

Robert led the group down the aisles one by one, gathering whatever supplies were needed. Most of the food they grabbed consisted of two 20-pound bags of rice, ten boxes of pancake mix as well as ten boxes of oatmeal, among other items.

They also grabbed flashlights, extra batteries, garbage bags, duct tape, sheet plastic, and basin rain ponchos, which would be useful for making protective clothing.

They then proceeded to the hardware section to find masks. They ended up grabbing several paint masks, one for each person.

After ten minutes, Robert looked over the full cart and was satisfied with what they had gathered. "OK, we've got what we need, we gotta get the hell out of here!" he said as he led them to the checkout counters. After getting outside, they used extreme caution as they headed back towards the SUV.

"Hey guys, I'm getting the feeling we're being followed." Cornelia said as they got into the parking lot. Robert looked behind them and sure enough, two men were following them.

"OK, there are two guys back there that want our stuff, we're gonna protect it by forming a protection detail. Everybody grab a corner, Elyon, you're driving!" Robert said. Will, Irma, Cornelia and Angelo grabbed a corner of the cart while Elyon pushed it along.

Robert and Caleb each grabbed a separate cart and positioned themselves between the two men and the others, extending their arms out to maintain an offset. The men got closer and one got out a baseball bat and prepared to swing it.

"GET BACK! GET BACK!" Robert shouted as he and Caleb forced the men back, keeping them away from the others, and the cart. The men soon gave up and took off.

Irma and the others started loading the supplies into the car. After the supplies were loaded, the group got in and they drove off back home. "OK, get the stuff and set it in the backyard. Make sure it is in direct sunlight, the UV rays will damage the virus' DNA, effectively killing anything on the surface." Robert ordered after they got home.

The group did so and went inside to wash their hands. One by one, they washed their hands in the kitchen sink, being careful to not miss a spot.

"OK, from now on, all of us here, this is our survival group. Anyone outside of this group will have to be considered exposed to the virus until they can be confirmed otherwise." Robert said as he briefed the group.

Two hours later, they grabbed the supplies and went inside. Elyon went out to place a trash bag into the bin by the curb. After doing so, she saw Alchemy unloading supplies out of her car. Elyon went over to help, not knowing that Alchemy was possibly infected.

Inside, Robert and Irma watched as Alchemy handed a few cans of food to Elyon. Irma and Robert went then outside.

"Whoa, that was a bad move. She may be a friend, but you still have to keep your distance. Now she's possibly transmitted the virus to you, and if you're infected, you could kill us all." Robert said.

The cans fell from Elyon's hands as she stood there in disbelief and shock. "You just compromised the safety of the entire group, but we're going to take care of you. Stay right there and do not come in until we tell you to after we sort this out, OK?" Robert said. Elyon nodded in agreement as a tear fell down her cheek.

Robert and Irma went inside as they figured out a plan. "Guys, Elyon may have gotten infected." Irma said.

"What? How?" Cornelia asked. "She was outside and was talking to Alchemy." Robert replied.

"How do you know she could be infected?" Will asked. "I don't, but I'm not taking chances, we need to build a sick room and we need to now!" Robert replied.

The group then got out the supplies for a sick room and went upstairs to the guest room. Irma grabbed the box fan that was lying nearby and put it in the open window, making sure that it was facing outwards.

The fan was a perfect fit, and Irma sealed all gaps around the fan with duct tape. Robert did the same with the AC vent. They also taped sheets of plastic to make a barrier in front of the door. Once they were done, they had Elyon come up and into the sick room.

"OK, you don't leave this sick room, we gotta keep you in here for at least six days, got it?" Robert said. Elyon nodded as Robert walked out.

_Week 5_

_Over 1,000,000 dead worldwide, another 8,000,000 infected_

_June 25, 2013, 11:03 AM_

It has been five weeks since the pandemic began, hospitals are filled to capacity and beyond, the government has ordered people to stay inside and the National Guard has been deployed to disperse any large crowds that gather in the streets or in public places. Heatherfield has become a ghost town at this point.

Robert went to check on Elyon and was horrified to see that she had developed symptoms of the flu.

"OK, I have some bad news: Elyon's sick. Now I need just one of you to go and take care of her. Do any of you have a medical condition?" Robert asked.

The others shook their heads. "Did any of you get a flu shot this year?" Robert asked. "I did." Cornelia replied.

"OK, I need you to gear up, long sleeve shirt, long pants, put on that poncho we got, and a shower cap." Robert said. Cornelia got up and after she did so, Robert handed her a pair of rubber gloves and a pair of paint masks.

"OK, first thing you do when you get in there is you put this mask on her, when she coughs or sneezes, it'll contain most of the droplets." Robert said.

Cornelia nodded as she put on one of the masks and entered the sick room. Once inside, she gave Elyon an ibuprofen tablet to reduce Elyon's pain and her fever.

She then helped her drink some water from a bottle she took in with her.

After she was done, she put the second mask on Elyon and left, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

"Please don't die on me, Elyon." Cornelia said softly as she left the sick room.

_Week 6_

_Over 3,000,000 dead worldwide, millions more infected_

_July 1, 2013, 9:23 AM_

Scientists around the world are desperately working day and night to develop a vaccine to the new strain of flu virus. There are only six companies around the world capable of this, meaning that it will take some time, a minimum of four to six months.

At this point, Elyon had been sick for six days. Cornelia went to check on her and saw no signs of life.

"Elyon, Elyon, can you hear me?" Cornelia asked. She gently shook her and saw no response. "No..." Cornelia said as she realized that her best friend was dead.

She rolled the blanket over Elyon's body and left to tell the others, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Guys, Elyon's...she's..." was all she could say before she broke down and fell into Caleb's arms and started sobbing on his shoulder.

"Dammit, I was afraid this would happen!" Robert said as he realized what Cornelia was trying to tell them.

"What do we do now?" Will said as she wiped a tear off her cheek. "Well, I hate to say this, but we have to deal with the body ourselves." Robert replied. "What?" Angelo exclaimed.

"He's right, with a pandemic like this, the morgues will be absolutely full. At this point they're using ice rinks and even frozen food warehouses to store bodies. We have no choice." Irma replied.

Irma and Robert each put on a mask and proceeded to wrap Elyon's body in the plastic sheets that went over the door of the sick room. Irma then started to dig a large hole about six feet deep in the front yard as far from the house as possible.

Robert carried the body out and he and Irma gently placed the body in the hole. Robert then proceeded to fill in the hole using the dirt around it. Cornelia came out holding a small sheet of plywood attached to two small stakes.

On the plywood, the following words were written using a permanent marker:

In Loving Memory of Elyon Brown

October 31, 1993 – July 1, 2013

Though no longer among us, you will always be with us in our hearts.

You will forever be missed."

Cornelia placed the grave marker on the side of the filled-in hole, the stakes digging into the dirt.

The group stood there as they thought about what had happened since the pandemic began.

Cornelia broke down and fell into Caleb's arms, sobbing loudly. Irma then started crying in Robert's arms. They got up after a minute and went back inside.

_Week 13_

_August 5, 2013, 7:35 PM_

At this point, a vaccine for the virus is still a month away. Many areas have lost electrical power and other services.

The group had lit some candles in response to the loss of power. In addition, the food supply in the house was running low. Cornelia decided that it was time to go gather some additional supplies.

"Caleb, Angelo, we're gonna go get some more food. First, we're gonna need to make some pepper spray to protect ourselves with." Cornelia said.

She then grabbed a container of cayenne pepper and poured some into a shot glass. She then poured some rubbing alcohol into the glass until it was about a centimeter above the pepper. She then took a spoon and stirred the mixture before shaking the glass while covering the opening with her hand.

She then strained out the large chunks of pepper and poured the mixture into a spray bottle.

"OK, let's go." Cornelia said as she grabbed the pepper spray. Angelo and Caleb got up and followed her to the car. They drove to a local food distribution center. They got out and snuck over to the back gate.

They got through the gate and went to the back door. Caleb found a long steel pipe and used it to break open the lock.

Cornelia opened the door and the guys went inside. "OK, get as much as you can carry and hurry back." Cornelia ordered.

Cornelia left her contact information and a list of what they took, so things can be sorted out once the pandemic was over.

After gathering a decent supply of food, they went back to the car. Suddenly, they heard barking as two hungry dogs approached. "Don't run!" Caleb ordered. "Crap!" Angelo said as they froze in place.

The dogs stood in front of the trio and barked viciously, baring their teeth.

"OK, we're gonna try to spook these dogs off." Angelo said. The three then began making loud noises to try and scare the dogs off.

Suddenly, Angelo started running off, intending to distract the dogs. The dogs gave chase and caught up quick. Angelo wrapped a sweatshirt around his arm just as one of the dogs grabbed his arm in its jaws.

Acting quickly, Cornelia took out the pepper spray and sprayed a stream at the dogs. The dog that was attacking Angelo was hit and took off running, the other one close behind.

"You alright?" Cornelia asked. Angelo nodded, his sweatshirt prevented him from being seriously injured. They got into the car and drove back home.

_Week 17_

_September 2, 2013_

With most of the police sick, looting and violence has become widespread as society began breaking down. The areas hit the hardest by the virus were stricken first, but the whole city was at risk.

Robert and the others looked out the window towards downtown and saw two columns of thick smoke as riots broke out.

"I've got a bad feeling about this!" Irma said. "I'm gonna go get my gun!" Robert said as he got up. Irma closed the curtains as Robert came back holding a fully-loaded Mossburg M500 12-gauge shotgun.

He stood guard by the door as the others got ready to fortify the house. Cornelia grabbed a box of trash bags and started filling them with dirt.

Caleb wrapped a glass in a shirt and stomped on it, breaking the glass into sharp shards. He then scattered them along the windowsill, and repeated the process with the other windows.

The glass was there so if anyone tried to get in, they would get a handful of glass, and their screams of pain would act as a perimeter alarm.

After several minutes, Cornelia had several bags filled and carried them inside.

The others then began covering the windows with garbage bags taped onto them so that looters can't see inside. Caleb and Angelo then pushed a bookshelf in front of the front window. They reinforced the other windows by hammering two-by-fours over them.

Caleb detached the closet door from its hinges and wedged it between the front door and the bottom of the stairs.

They then stacked the dirt-filled bags halfway up the stairs, creating a bunker two bags thick and four feet high, leaving a small gap for access. That night, two men with M9 handguns approached the house, banging on the window.

The group rushed to the bunker, with Robert wielding the shotgun. They ducked down low as one of the looters raised his gun and began firing. Robert counted fifteen rounds before the shooting stopped.

The men attempted to force the door open, but found themselves staring down the barrel of a fully-loaded shotgun, held by a very angry Robert.

Robert pulled the slide action back and pushed it back forward to chamber a shell. The men took off as Robert fired a warning shot through the gap between the doorway and the door itself. Robert ejected the spent shell and continued guarding the house with the others.

_Week 20_

_September 22, 2013_

The number of flu cases has declined in the past few weeks. As fewer and fewer cases occurred, and more people that got sick recovered from their illness, people started emerging from their homes and began returning to work.

The race to develop the vaccine has shown significant progress, and it was only a matter of time before it would be completed and deployed.

_Week 24_

_October 20, 2013_

The vaccine for the virus has finally been completed and deployment of the vaccine has begun. Robert and the others wasted no time getting to the local distribution area to receive the vaccine.

After being vaccinated, it took two weeks until they developed an immunity to this strain of the flu.

Eventually, the number of flu cases practically came to a halt. After that, the pandemic was declared over.

Robert and the others didn't expect to become caught up in the middle of a global flu pandemic, but, by taking the right precautions, they overcame everything that was thrown at them, beat the odds and survived.


End file.
